Vault containing unreleased Prince songs drilled open

A vault containing hundreds of unreleased songs by Prince is reported to have been drilled open.

The singer, who died aged 57 on April 21, released 39 studio albums during his recording career. But it is believed that he left a wealth of material in the vault at his Paisley Park home in Chanhassen, Minnesota.

However only the singer knew the access code to the store which meant a vast body of work could have been lost forever.

ABC News reported the vault was drilled open by Bremer Trust, the bank appointed to administer his estate, as it sought to prepare an inventory of the singer’s assets.

Watch | Prince fans pay tribute with all-night dance party

01:13

Prince was prodigious in his output and according to one estimate there is enough material for a new Prince album to be released every year for the next century.

“One day someone will release them. I don’t know if I will get to release them,” the singer said in one interview. "There’s just so many and I like writing new stuff and we do new stuff all the time.”